Vehicle suspension

ABSTRACT

The vehicle suspension provides an axle assembly which may be mounted either on a truck-tractor or a truck trailer. The suspension includes an axle which is suspended from the vehicle frame by means of a pair of springs. An integral drawbar and guide member is secured to the axle. The integral member includes a drawbar portion which extends forwardly for resilient securement to vehicle structure. A guide portion extends in the opposite direction for sliding engagement with vertical guide means. The integral member includes a central portion having transverse recess means on the underside which is received on the axle to orient the integral member with respect to the axle and provide means for welding the integral member to the axle. The welding is on diametrically opposite sides of the recess but not on the top thereof to leave the top portion of the axle free from restraint to permit stress relief.

United States Patent 1 Granning l l VEHICLE SUSPENSION [75] Inventor:Ole Granning, Detroit, Mich.

[731 Assignee: Granning Suspensions lnc., Dearborn,Mich.

[22] Filed: Jan. 28, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 110,420

[52] U.S. Cl. ..280/ll2 R, 267/l5 A [51] Int. Cl. ..B60j 11/26 [58]Field of Search...280/l 12, I12 A, 124 R, 124 F;

Primary Examiner Philip Goodman Alt0rneyWhittemore, l-lulbert & Belknap[451 Jan. 30, 1973 [57] ABSTRACT The vehicle suspension provides an axleassembly which may be mounted either on a truck-tractor or a trucktrailer. The suspension includes an axle which is suspended from thevehicle frame by means of a pair of springs. An integral drawbar andguide member is secured to the axle. The integral member includes adrawbar portion which extends forwardly for resilient securement tovehicle structure. A guide portion extends in the opposite direction forsliding engagement with vertical guide means. The integral memberincludes a central portion having transverse recess means on theunderside which is received on the axle to orient the integral memberwith respect to the axle and provide means for welding the integralmember to the axle. The welding is on diametrically opposite sides ofthe recess but not on the top thereof to leave the top portion of theaxle free from restraint to permit stress relief.

6 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures PATENTEDJAHBO I975 3,713,663 SHEET 10F 2VE/VTOR ATTORNEYS VEHICLE SUSPENSION BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In myU.S. Pat. No. 3,133,745, issued May 19,1964, and my co-pending patentapplication, Ser. No. 45,613, filed June 12, 1970, l have disclosed asuspension for tractors and trailers. The present invention constitutesan improvement over my prior structures.

My axle assemblies may be added to a vehicle as an additional axle toincrease the load-carrying capacity of the vehicle or they may beprovided as an original axle on a truck-tractor or trailer.

My present invention provides an axle assembly which is economical tomanufacture and which provides desired alignment of the variouscomponents automatically. l have provided a combined integral drawbarand guide member assembly for direct attachment to the axle. Theassembly includes a drawbar portion which extends forwardly from theaxle and a guide portion which extends rearwardly from the axle. Theseportions are interconnected by a central portion having transverserecess means on the underside thereof. The recess means have aconfiguration which mates with at least a portion of the periphery ofthe axle which is received therein.

The present invention possesses the advantages set forth in myco-pending patent application aboveidentified. Additionally, theintegral drawbar and guide member results in self-aligning of the unitto all axle configurations. This is accomplished automatically as aresult of the configuration of the integral member. It is merelynecessary to set the axle in the recess means of the integral member andthen weld the axle and integral member together. Complicated fixturingand alignment devices are not necessary. The integral member iseconomically fabricated either by casting or forging. The resultantstructure has high strength characteristics not obtainable with separatedrawbar and guide members individually secured to the axle as has beenthe practice in the past.

Another desirable feature of the construction is that in the process ofwelding the integral member to the axle, it is only necessary to providea weldment on diametrically opposed sides of the axle, leaving the topof the axle free from restraint. This is advantageous in permittingstress relief on the upper portion of the axle during use of the device.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The suspension sub-assembly for a vehiclecomprises a sub-assembly support structure which is separate from thevehicle frame. The sub-assembly support structure is of a size andincludes structure for mounting thereof on the vehicle frame. A springstructure is securable between the vehicle frame and the sub-assemblysupport structure. An axle is suspended from the spring structure. Anintegral drawbar and guide member is secured to the axle. The integralmember includes a drawbar portion extending outwardly from the axletowards the forward end of the sub-assembly support structure. A seconddepending axle support structure is provided at the forward end of thesub-assembly. Resilient fastening means, pivotal about an axistransverse to the longitudinal axis of the drawbar and generallyparallel to the axis of the axle, secure the drawbar to the secondsupport structure. Vertical guide means comprising downwardly dependingmeans defining guide surface structure for securement to the vehicleframe are provided. The integral member includes a guide portion havingvertically slidable structure. The guide portion extends outwardly fromthe axle for sliding engagement of the vertical slidable structure withthe guide surface structure. The integral member includes a centralportion having transverse recess means on the underside thereof. Therecess means have a configuration mating with at least a portion of theperiphery of the axle. The axle is received in the recess means. Therecess means are oriented with respect to the drawbar portion and guideportion and the drawbar portion and guide portion are oriented withrespect to each other in a fashion to achieve a desired orientation ofthe drawbar portion and guide portion with respect to the axle. Theintegral member is welded to the axle. A weldment is provided onopposite sides of the axle adjacent the mouth of the recess. Theweldments do not extend entirely around the axle, thus leaving anunrestrained portion of the axle at the top thereof free for flexing topermit stress relief of the axle during use thereof. IN THE DRAWINGS:

FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of one embodiment of the vehiclesuspension of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the vehicle suspension of FIG. 1illustratively mounted on a vehicle frame;

FIG. 3 is a rear elevational view of guide structure for the vehiclesuspension;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the vehicle suspension of FIG. 1with a vehicle frame and whell assembly illustrated in phantom lines;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the combination drawbar and guide spindlemember illustrating the weldment thereof to the vehicle axle;

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of the combination drawbar and guidespindle also illustrating the weldment thereof to the vehicle axle; and

FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of another embodiment of the inventionin which a different spring structure is utilized.

Referring to the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. l-6, it will be notedthat the vehicle suspension 10 includes a generally rectangular axleframe 12 which is adapted for mounting on a pair of spaced apart vehicleframe channel members 14, 16. The frame 12 comprises a lower platemember forming a bottom wall 18, the ends of the plate member being bentupwardly to form end walls 20, 22. An angle member 24, 26 extendsbetween the end walls and is welded to the plate structure to completethe box-like frame structure.

A pair of channel legs 28, 30 extend downwardly from the rear of theframe 12. The legs are spaced apart to form a guide opening. Bearingplates 32, 34 are provided on the inner faces of the lower portion ofthe legs. The legs are joined together at their lower ends by a plate36. The upper ends of the legs are secured to the frame 12 as bywelding.

A pair of longitudinally extending, spaced apart support structures 38,40 are provided on the underside of the frame 12. These supportstructures extend from the forward portion and terminate at the legs 28,30. The support structures 38, 40 extend downwardly at the forward endof the suspension and are angled upwardly therefrom towards the rearwardend to thus form a generally triangularly shaped configuration as viewedfrom the side as in H6. 4. The rearward portion of the support structureis generally L-shaped in cross-section. The forward portion of thesupport structures is enlarged and of a generally box-likeconfiguration, each comprising a back wall 42, side walls 44,. 46 andbottom wall 48. Angle-shaped coupling structures 50, 52 are bolted tothe underside of the bottom walls.

An axle 54, which supports a pair of rotatable wheels 61, indicated indotted lines in FIG. 4, is supported by and guided between the front andrear leg structures of the axle frame 12 and is suspended from thevehicle frame channel members 14, 16 by a pair of pneumatic springs 58,60 located adjacent each end of the axle. The springs 58, 60 are ofconventional structure and each comprises a pair of flexible air bags.The air bags have upper and lower metallic reinforcing discs vulcanizedthereto and a center disc vulcanized to the bags to join them together.A conventional pneumatic circuit (not shown) is associated with eachspring to supply the bags with the desired amount of air under pressureto maintain the bags at the proper air pressure. in operation, an upwardforce on the bags will cause air to be expelled from the bags,permitting collapse thereof to accommodate upward movement of the axle.The control system associated with the bags will subsequently cause theair pressure within the bags to increase thus forcing the axle backdownwardly to its normal position.

The springs 58, 60 are secured to the axle by brackets 62, 64 which aresecured to the lower discs of the spring assemblies by means of bolts.Extending downwardly from each bracket and spaced projections which arewelded to the axle 54 to thus secure the axle to the springs. Thesprings are secured to the frame channel members 14, 16 by means ofbrackets 66, 68. The brackets are angle-shaped, having one leg extendingupwardly and secured to the exterior of the adjacent frame channelmember by means of bolts. The horizontal member of each bracket issecured to the upper disc of the spring assembly, also by means ofbolts.

A combination drawbar and guide spindle member 70 is secured to the axle54. The member 70 is a unitized structure, having an upwardly curvedcentral portion 72 which extends over the axle 54 and has asubstantially semicircular transverse recess 78 in the lower surfacethereof which is received on the axle and welded thereto. As will benoted in FIGS. and 6, the

weldments are at 80, 82, extending from the outer edges of the recessfor a relatively short distance around the periphery of the axle. Thereis thus an unsecured portion of the axle top surface between theweldments. It has been found that this construction results in desiredstress relief of the axle to the top which is the tension side. Thispermits flexing of the axle during use without damage to the assemblywhich might occur if the stress relief area were not provided. It willbe noted in FIG. 5 that the weldments are continuous over the width ofthe member 70. This results in a secured, strong structure of whichnevertheless provides for stress relief.

The rearwardly extending portion 86, which is the guide portion, of themember 70 has a has a cylindrical opening 88 in the outer end thereofwhich receives a cylindrical member 90. The member 90 is secured theretoas by welding. The member 90 is the only portion of the member which isnot formed integrally therewith. This is a matter of convenience becausethe shape of the member does not lend itself readily to the castingtechnique which has been used. However, the member 90 may be formedintegrally is another method of fabricating the member 70 is utilizedas, for example, forging. The opening 88 which receives the member 90is, however, formed integrally along with the fabrication of the member70 and thus orientation of the opening 88 is accurately controlled. Therearward portion 86, which as will be noted is generally triangularlyshaped for greater strength, functions as a guide spindle. The member 90rotatably extends into a rectangular guide block 92 which is mounted forvertical sliding travel in the opening between the legs 28, 30. Thespindle portion 86 permits vertical movement of the axle under theconstraint of the springs 58, 60 and also permits tilting of the axleabout a horizontal axis defined by the longitudinal axis of the spindleportion. The spindle portion maintains the axle in alignment bypreventing lateral movement of the axle or pivoting of the axle about avertical axis. The guide structure may be reversed from that shown. Thatis, the block may be mounted on a pivotal element which is rigidlyaffixed to the frame 12, with the guide legs being secured to the member86. Alternately, instead of a center guide opening for the block to movein, the block may be replaced by a pivotally mounted spaced apart armstructure which would be guided on bearing pads provided on a vertical,rigid structure also attached to the frame 12.

The forward portion of the member 70 defines a drawbar portion 94. Thedrawbar portion 94 couples the axle to the vehicle frame. As will benoted, the drawbar portion 94 is also generally triangular for greaterstrength. The center section of the drawbar portion is removed tothereby define a pair of converging legs which terminate in forwardlyextending portion 100. As will'be noted, the portion terminates inahollow cylindrical split-ring structure 96. This structure is receivedbetween the coupling elements 50, 52. The longitudinal axis of thestructure 96 extends transversely of the longitudinal axis of thedrawbar portion 94 and generally parallel to the longitudinal axis ofthe axle 54. A bushing 102 is received in the structure 96. A resilientsleeve 104 is received within the bushing 102. A metallic bushing 106 isreceived within the sleeve 104. Thecoupling members 50, 52 have inwardlydirected cylindrical portions 108 which are received within the bushing106. A bolt 110 extends through the portions 108. A nut 112 is providedon the end of the bolt. The split ring construction is secured togetherby means of a nut and bolt structure 114. This, together with tighteningof the nut and bolt structure 110, 112, causes pressure engagement ofthe resilient sleeve 104 and the adjacent bushings. The pressure appliedis sufficient to cause frictional engagement of the various members andprevents relative rotation thereof.

in operation, the resilient sleeve 104 flexes to permit the outer end ofthe drawbar portion 94 to pivot about a transverse axis a slight degreeon therise or fall of the axle. The sleeve 104 also permits a slightamount of tilting about the longitudinal axis, thus accommodating axlepivoting about a horizontal axis defined by the drawbar and spindleportions. Whenever the axle is moved out of its normal position, thesleeve 104 urges it back towards the normal position and will repositionthe axle upon cessation of the force thereon. However, the sleeve 104does not result in the device tending to strongly seek a center positionas has been the case with previous drawbar devices wherein a resilientconnection having a center of rotation about an axis parallel to thedrawbar axis has been utilized. Such a resilient connection has tendedto cause centering of the axle when it is undesired as, for example,when the brakes are applied and a wheel is located in a depression inthe roadway. At that time, it is not desired that the axle be centered.However, the previous type of resilient connection has tended to causesuch centering when the brakes were applied.

The assembly is completed by a pair of shock absorbers 116, 118 whichextend between the vehicle frame and projections 120, 122 welded to theaxle 54.

A modified version of the suspension is illustrated in FIG. 7. Thesuspension 124 there shown includes most of the basic elementspreviously described. The suspension 124 includes a combination drawbarand guide spindle member 126 having the aforedescribed rearwardlyextending guide spindle portion 128 rotatably received in guide block130. The member 126 also includes the forwardly extending drawbarportion 138 which is resiliently secured at its forward end to aflexible coupling by coupling members 140 as previously described. Thecoupling members 140 are bolted to the forward end of longitudinallyextending support structure 136. Depending guide legs 132 are providedat the other end of the support structure 136 to slidingly receive theblock 130 in the manner previously described.

The member 126 is provided with a central curved portion 146 forstrength purposes. A rectangular recess 148 is provided beneath theportion 146 to receive a rectangular axle 150. Such rectangular axlesare sometimes used and the suspension of the present invention isreadily adaptable to such axle configurations or other axleconfigurations as desired. It will be noted that a short weldment 152,154 is provided on each of the vertical surfaces of axle 150, leavingthe top surface 160 free from fastening to provide the desired stressrelief as previously described.

The axle 150 is resiliently supported from a vehicle frame by means of apair of elastomeric springs, 162. The springs 162 are generally oval incross-section in the unloaded condition as illustrated in FIG. 7. When aload is applied, the springs deform laterally and assume a somewhatdoughnut shape under full load conditions. These springs are desirablefrom the cost standpoint and result in long maintenance-free life.Auxilliary shock absorbers may be eliminated. The springs result inbuilt-in damping. The springs are fabricated from a rubber-likeelastomeric material.

The springs are each provided with a metallic plate bedded into each endthereof. The lower plate is bolted to a bracket 166 which in turn issecured to the upper surface of the axle 150 as by welding. The upperspring plate is bolted to a channel-shaped cross member 168 whichextends transversely across the support structure 136. The cross member168 is secured to the support structure 136 as by welding. The structurethus described may be supported from a vehicle frame by means of anauxilliary frame structure (not shown) 5 similar to that shown anddescribed in connection with the previous embodiment.

From the description which has heretofore been set forth, it will beappreciated that both embodiments of the vehicle suspension have severaladvantageous characteristics. Firstly, by making the drawbar portion andguide spindle portion integral, these portions will be accuratelyaligned with respect to each other when mounted on an axle. This isopposed to the prior art technique of providing the drawbar portion andguide spindle portion as separate units individually secured to an axle.As a corollary to the proper orientation of the drawbar portion andguide spindle portion with respect to each other, the provision of aproperly oriented recess in the combined member which mates with theconfiguration of the axle as, for example, the semi-circular recess 78in the FIGS. 1-6 embodiment and the rectangular recess 148 in the FIG. 7embodiment, assures that these portions will be properly oriented withrespect to the axle. This orientation is automatic upon setting of thecombined member on the axle prior to welding. In the case of an axlesuch as the circular axle 54, it does not matter what angular positionthe axle assumes prior to welding of the combined member thereto. In thecase of an axle such as the rectangular axle 150, the axle must beoriented in a direction to properly receive the recess. Regardless ofthe configuration of the cross-section of the axle, there will always beautomatic alignment of the two members as long as the recess provided inthe combined member mates with at least a portion of the configurationof the axle so as to be properly oriented when seated.

The combined member possesses the additional advantage of ease ofinstallation with reduced fabrication expense as compared to a two-partdrawbar and guide spindle assembly. In practice, it is convenient to laythe combined member on a support surface with the recess facingupwardly. The axle is then laid into the recess and the weldingoperation is conveniently performed from the upper side. Anotheradvantage of the combined member is that it results in a high strengthunit which, although welded to the axle, permits leaving the uppersurfaceportion of the axle free from welding for stress relief duringuse of the assembly.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In a suspension sub-assembly for a vehicle comprising a sub-assemblysupport structure separate from the vehicle frame and mountable thereon,a spring structure on the sub-assembly support structure securable tothe vehicle frame, an axle suspended from said spring structure, anintegral drawbar and guide member secured to the axle, said integraldrawbar and guide member including a central portion having transverserecess means on the underside thereof, said recess means meeting with atleast a portion of the periphery of the axle and being received thereon,said integral drawbar and guide member being welded to the axle in thearea of said recess means, said integral member including a drawbarportion extending outwardly from the axle towards the forward end of thesub-assembly support structure, a second depending axle supportstructure at the forward end of the subassembly, resilient fasteningmeans pivotable about an axis transverse to the longitudinal axis of thedrawbar portion and generally parallel to the axis of the axle securingthe drawbar to the second support structure, and vertical guide meanscomprising downwardly depending means defining guide surface structurefor securement to the vehicle frame, said integral member including aguide portion having vertically slidable structure, said guide portionextending outwardly from the axle for sliding engagement of saidvertical slidable structure with the guide surface structure.

2. A suspension sub-assembly as defined in claim 1, furthercharacterized in that said recess means is oriented with respect to thedrawbar portion and guide portion and the drawbar portion and guideportion are oriented with respect to each other in a fashion to achievea desired orientation of the drawbar portion and guide portion withrespect to the axle.

3. A suspension sub-assembly as defined in claim 1, furthercharacterized in that said integral member is received on the upper sideof the axle, said welding comprising a weldment on opposite sides of theaxle, said weldments terminating short of the upper surface of the axlewhereby the upper surface of the axle is unrestrained and free to flexto relieve stress thereon.

4. A suspension sub-assembly as defined in claim 1, furthercharacterized in that the central portion of said integral member israised with respect to the drawbar portion and guide portion toreinforce the integral member over the axle.

5. A sub-assembly for a vehicle suspension sub-assembly comprising anaxle, an integral drawbar and guide member secured to the axle, saidintegral member including a central portion having transverse recessmeans on the underside thereof, said integral member being secured tothe. upper side of the axle with the axle received in the recess means,said recess means having a configuration mating with at least a portionof the periphery of the axle, said recess means being oriented withrespect to the drawbar portion and guide portion and the drawbar portionand guide portion being oriented with respect to each other in a fashionto achieve a desired orientation of the drawbar portion and the guideportion with respect to the axle, said integral member being secured tothe axle by means of welding, said welding comprising a weldment onopposite sides of the axle, said weldments terminating short of theupper surface of the axle whereby the upper surface of the axle isunrestrained and free to flex to'relieve stress thereon, said integralmember including a drawbar portion extending outwardly of the axle forultimate extension forwardly of a vehicle and attachment of a vehicle,and said integral member including a guide portion extending in theopposite direction from the drawbar portion, said guide portion havingvertically slidable structure for sliding engagement with a verticalguide means.

6. The combination described in claim 5, further characterized in thatthe central portion of said integral member is raised with respect tothe drawbar portion and guide portion to reinforce the integral memberover the axle.

1. In a suspension sub-assembly for a vehicle comprising a subassembly support structure separate from the vehicle frame and mountable thereon, a spring structure on the sub-assembly support structure securable to the vehicle frame, an axle suspended from said spring structure, an integral drawbar and guide member secured to the axle, said integral drawbar and guide member including a central portion having transverse recess means on the underside thereof, said recess means meeting with at least a portion of the periphery of the axle and being received thereon, said integral drawbar and guide member being welded to the axle in the area of said recess means, said integral member including a drawbar portion extending outwardly from the axle towards the forward end of the sub-assembly support structure, a second depending axle support structure at the forward end of the subassembly, resilient fastening means pivotable about an axis transverse to the longitudinal axis of the drawbar portion and generally parallel to the axis of the axle securing the drawbar to the second support structure, and vertical guide means comprising downwardly depending means defining guide surface structure for securement to the vehicle frame, said integral member including a guide portion having vertically slidable structure, said guide portion extending outwardly from the axle for sliding engagement of said vertical slidable structure with the guide surface structure.
 1. In a suspension sub-assembly for a vehicle comprising a sub-assembly support structure separate from the vehicle frame and mountable thereon, a spring structure on the sub-assembly support structure securable to the vehicle frame, an axle suspended from said spring structure, an integral drawbar and guide member secured to the axle, said integral drawbar and guide member including a central portion having transverse recess means on the underside thereof, said recess means meeting with at least a portion of the periphery of the axle and being received thereon, said integral drawbar and guide member being welded to the axle in the area of said recess means, said integral member including a drawbar portion extending outwardly from the axle towards the forward end of the sub-assembly support structure, a second depending axle support structure at the forward end of the subassembly, resilient fastening means pivotable about an axis transverse to the longitudinal axis of the drawbar portion and generally parallel to the axis of the axle securing the drawbar to the second support structure, and vertical guide means comprising downwardly depending means defining guide surface structure for securement to the vehicle frame, said integral member including a guide portion having vertically slidable structure, said guide portion extending outwardly from the axle for sliding engagement of said vertical slidable structure with the guide surface structure.
 2. A suspension sub-assembly as defined in claim 1, further characterized in that said recess means is oriented with respect to the drawbar portion and guide portion and the drawbar portion and guide portion are oriented with respect to each other in a fashion to achieve a desired orientation of the drawbar portion and guide portion with respect to the axle.
 3. A suspension sub-assembly as defined in claim 1, further characterized in that said integral member is received on the upper side of the axle, said welding comprising a weldment on opposite sides of the axle, said weldments terminating short of the upper surface of the axle whereby the upper surface of the axle is unrestrained and free to flex to relieve stress thereon.
 4. A suspension sub-assembly as defined in claim 1, further characterized in that the central portion of said integral member is raised with respect to the drawbar portion and guide portion to reinforce the integral member over the axle.
 5. A sub-assembly for a vehicle suspension sub-assembly comprising an axle, an integral drawbar and guide member secured to the axle, said integral member including a central portion having transverse recess means on the underside thereof, said integral member being secured to the upper side of the axle with the axle received in the recess means, said recess means having a configuration mating with at least a portion of the periphery of the axle, said recess means being oriented with respect to the drawbar portion and guide portion and the drawbar portion and guide portion being oriented with respect to each other in a fashion to achieve a desired orientation of the drawbar portion and the guide portion with respect to the axle, saId integral member being secured to the axle by means of welding, said welding comprising a weldment on opposite sides of the axle, said weldments terminating short of the upper surface of the axle whereby the upper surface of the axle is unrestrained and free to flex to relieve stress thereon, said integral member including a drawbar portion extending outwardly of the axle for ultimate extension forwardly of a vehicle and attachment of a vehicle, and said integral member including a guide portion extending in the opposite direction from the drawbar portion, said guide portion having vertically slidable structure for sliding engagement with a vertical guide means. 